Cigarette-making machinery



- Oct. 22', 1929.

w. E. MOLINS I CIGARETTE MAKING MIACHIINERY Filed Jan. 4, 1 929 INA/I071! I 417: v r

- w apparatus for Patented Oct. 22, 1929 WALTER EVER/BITE MOLINS, OF DEPTFORD, LONDON, ENGLAND ClGABElTE MAKING MACHINERY Application filed January 4, 1929, Serial No. 330,254, and in Great Britain December 14, 1927.

This invention is. for improvements in or relating to cigarette making machinery, and more particularly to an apparatus for feeding tobacco-to a cigarette making machine, and has for its object the provision of means whereby a more consistent supply of tobacco may be fed to the trough of a cigarette making machine.

In a cigarette making machine wherein the feeding tobacco to thetrough of the machine is constructed as described in the co-pending application of Felix Ruau,

Serial No. 56,355,

it has been found that although the irregularities in the supply of tobacco by the comb ing and brushing rollers is evened out over the surface of the distributor, nevertheless, the detrimental efiects caused by the same are not completely eliminated. It would appear that with an apparatus constructed according to the above mentioned application of Felix Ruau the tobacco is evenly distributed over the distributor, but the amount of tobacco which is distributed over the same varies from time to time, thus producing a number of cigarettes of one consistency and thereafter a number of cigarettes of a different consistency;

It is an object of the present invention to tobacco is not only evenly distributed over the surface of the distributor, but is dis-- tributed in uniform amounts.

The present invention consists of a tobacco feeding apparatus .for a cigarette making machine of the continuous rod type wherein a shower of tobacco (emanating er wherein the tobacco is massed and delivered therefrom in measured quantities by means of carded rollers) is automatically spread over the surface of a distributor upon which it is relevelled and remeasured by a levelling roller prior to the same being deposited either over the surface of a second distributor or, direct into the trough of the cigarette making machine.

The invention is more particularly described with re'ference to the accompanying drawing which shows the invention as applied to a hopper of the kind described in filed September 14, 1925,

provide means which will ensure that the from a hopbacco upwardly and beneath a brushing roller 4, v

The tobacco is picked from the surface of the combing roller 3 by a picker roller 5 and is spread over the surface of a distributor 6 fromwhich it is removed by the picker roller 7 and discharged into the trough 11 of the machine.

The tobacco is levelled on the surface of the distributor 6 by a smooth pressure roller 12, but according to the present invention there is provided in addition to, or as a substitute for the pressure roller 12, a carded roller 13 referred to as the which is arranged so that the adjacent surfaces of the distributing roller and the levelling roller move in opposite directions.

The carding on the levelling roller is preferably of the same character as the carding on the brushing roller which removes the superflous tobacco from the surface of the combing roller.

In addition, there may be provided a roller 14 arranged to engage with the levelling roller so as to prevent shreds of tobacco from accumulating on the surface thereof.

It has been found in'practice that any irregularities which may issue from the' brushing and combing rollers are apparent in the cigarettes produced by the machine, notwithstanding the fact that these errors are evened out over the surface of the distributor, and

it will be understood that the levelling roller is arranged so as to level off the high portions of the tobacco which may be present on the distributor and transfer them to the low portions thereof.

Further, by rotating the distributor at a slightly slower speed than the combing roller, it will be observed that acertain surlevelling roller plus of tobacco will accumulate in the space between the combing roller and distributor, but as this accumulation increases, the weight will cause the levelling roller and the distributor to take more tobacco, or if necessary, automatic means may be provided whereby the levelling roller is lifted away from the distributor in order to permit the accumulation to be absorbed, or the proximity of the combing and brushing rollers feeding to the distributor may be varied so as to prevent an over accumulation or diminution. In addition to the above, the tobacco from the distributor may be delivered on to a second distributor, which may be in the form of a continuous band or a carded roller before the tobacco is showered into the trough of the cigarette making machine.

It is further expedient to regulate the speeds of the combing roller and the first distributor relative to one another in such a manner as to maintain a reserve of tobacco in the space between these two rollers. Thus when the combing and the brushing rollers feed a considerable quantity of tobacco to the distributor, the levelling roller will have a tendency to correct this excess and allow the same to accumulatein the space formed between the combing roller, levelling roller and the first distributor. When, however, the .combing roller and the brushing roller feed a relatively small amount of tobacco,'the excess of tobacco accumulated in the'space between the combing roller, levelling roller and the first distributor is taken up and passed either to the second distributor or direct into the trough of the cigarette making machine.

From the foregoing it will be seen that the levelling roller acts substantially in the capacity of a rake, removing the excesses of tobacco from portions of the first distributor and transferring them to the more sparsely covered portions of the same.

Thus'it will be seen that according to the present invention, the lumps of tobacco which are present upon the surface of the combing roller are distributed over the surface of the distributor in such a manner that longitudinal bands of thickly and sparsely distributed tobacco are arranged upon the surface of the distributor, and thelevelling roller is arranged to even 'out these thickly and sparsely arranged'bands so as to feed the tobacco in consistent quantities, either direct to the trough of the cigarette making machine, or on to the surface of a second distributor from which it is showered into the trough of the cigarette making machine.

It will be appreciated that the operator may keep a certain excess of tobacco in the space between the levelling, distributing and Y combing rollersin order 'to ensure that a constant level of tobacco is maintained on the distributor.

delivering the same uniformly to the fillingtrough of the machine, and a carded levelling roller co-operating with said distributing roller to insure delivery of a constant quantity of tobacco.

2. Apparatus for feeding tobaccoto a filling trough of a continuous rod type cigarette machine, comprising in combination, a carded combing roller adapted to receive a supply of tobacco, a picker roller for removing the tobacco from said combing roller, a conveyor comprising a carded'distributing roller disposed adjacent the combing roller and interposed between the combing roller and the filling trough for receiving the removed tobacco directly from the combing roller, a picker Zroller mounted above the filling trough for removing tobacco from the conveyor to the trough, and'a carded levelling roller cooperating with said distributing roller to insure delivery of a constant quantity of tobacco.

3. Apparatus for feeding tobacco to a'filling trough of a continuous rod type cigarette machine, comprising in combination, a carded 1 tobacco, means for removing the tobacco from said combing roller,'a carded distributing roller for receiving the removed tobacco 1 and delivering the same uniformly to the filling trough'of the machine, and a carded levelling roller co-operating with said distributing roller to insure delivery of a constant quantity of tobacco, said combing and levelling rollers being so disposed as to cooperate with spaced points on the upper peripheral portion of the distributing roller, whereby excess tobacco supplied by the combing roller to the distributing roller may accumulate on the upper surface of the latter and will be gradually released by the level ling roller.

4. Apparatus for feeding tobacco to a filling trough of a continuous rod type cigarette machine, comprising in combination,a carded combing roller adapted to receive a supply of tobacco, a carded distributing roller, means for removing the tobacco from said combing roller to the upper portion ofsa-id distributing roller, a carded levelling roller co-operating with the upper portion of said distributing roller forwardly of said combing roller with respect to the direction of rotation of the distributing roller, whereby excess tobacco delivered to said distributing roller will accumulate thereon between the combing roller and the levelling roller, and will be uniformly released by the latter for delivery to the said filling trough.

5. Apparatus for feeding tobacco to a filling trough of a continuous rod type cigarette machine, comprising in combination, a carded combing roller adapted to receive a supply of tobacco, a carded distributing roller, means for removing the tobacco from said combing roller to the upper portion of said distributing roller, a carded levelling roller rotating in a direction opposite to the direction of rotation of said distributing roller and co-operating with the upper portion of said distributing roller forwardly of said combing roller with respect to the direction of rotation of the distributing roller, where by excess tobacco delivered to said distributing roller will accumulate thereon between the combing roller and the levelling roller, and will be uniformly released by the latter for delivery to the said filling trough.

6. Apparatus for feeding tobacco to a filling trough of a continuous rod type cigarette machine comprising in combination, a carded combing roller adapted to receive a supply of tobacco, a carded distributing roller adapted to be rotated at a speed slower than that of the combing roller, means for removing the tobacco from said combing roller to the upper portion of said distributing roller, a carded levelling roller co-operating with the upper portion of said distributing roller forwardly of said combing roller with respect to the direction of rotation of the dis tributing roller, whereby excess tobacco delivered to said distributing roller will accumulate thereon between the combing roller and the levelling roller, and will be uniformly released by the latter for delivery to the said filling trough, and a roller co-operating with said levelling roller to remove surplus tobacco from the latter.

In testimony whereof I hereunto al'fix my signature.

WALTER EVERETT MOLINS. 

